World Class Pattaya's "lovely new" beach missing just one thing - tourists!

[mike787]

11 minutes ago, murraynz said:

the excess boats happened when they closed the boat ramps at bali hai--so many operators anchor off shore instead of using boat ramp at jomtien.

if only thai authorities could understand that tourists dont like dirty water or rubbish lining the streets--and do something about cleaning up....

they would then get many more tourists.... its simple realy...

the new rubbish collectors are doing a much better job---thats a start.

If Thailand authorities cared they would do something.  I agree with you. But they only care about removing all foreigners no matter what consequences.  Like ethnic cleansing, they will purge their country of us.  Only the bad guys will be left to hand out fat brown envelopes. 

[Misab 1]

7 hours ago, Pilotman said:

unfortunately, I happened to be driving down beach road a couple of days ago, trying as quickly as possible to leave the City.  While the beach looked okay, we all know the water is as polluted as it can be with raw sewage. That said, the most striking thing was the mass of boats in the bay, it looked like thousands of them. Frankly, it looked very off putting, not at all attractive, more like a crowded High Street on a Saturday.  if nothing else was wrong with the beach at Pattaya, and there is plenty, that would certainly put me off. 

 Hardly any tourists from Europe, the answer is Thai Bahts sky high

[Benmart]

6 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

I don't think many who live in Pattaya use the beach, as no one likes swimming amongst a bunch of turds and the film of diesel from the marine craft. If I am going to the beach, I head down to Sattahip, near the naval base, just past Utapao airport. Clean sand, clear water and no beach vendors pestering you every five minutes.

I live here and won't venture into the water, nor do I recommend it to visitors. Not only is the sewage a concern, but all the speed boats are in all probability, leaking fuel into the water. Maintenance and concern for the environment is sorely lacking, and is overshadowed by greed and corruption.

[toofarnorth]

7 hours ago, smedly said:

The guy in the photo has a cigarette in his hand - go figure lol

His upper arms are morphing in to butts as well.

[crickets]

[mike787]

6 minutes ago, crickets said:

What the HELL????  If that is waste, I don't want to believe it.  The Thai solutions...impressive.

[mindfulness]

Trust they’ve employed ‘floater’ spotters.

 

Sheesh !  ... that sea looks unclean !!

[monspencer]

7 hours ago, Pilotman said:

really?  Dry as a bone here in Bang Sang  

Lucky you, but Pattaya isn't Bang Sang is it? And this article is about Pattaya!????

[Mac98]

Topless 'pretties' on the beach would lure more than a few touring sun worshippers.

[crickets]

15 minutes ago, Kim J said:

Looks like all those prisoners cleaning out the sewers didn't do such a good job after all.

Rain overflow from today

[Captain 776]

If you have a good pair of Polarized sunglasses, you can see water is not clean.

Almost every beach I have been to, I see fecal matter floating on top of the water, not actual turds but fecal matter.

Having built several sewage treatment plants in my career, I know what it looks like.

If you see what looks like foamy bubbles floating on top of the water, take your hand and splash water towards it, the bubbles and foam from your splash quickly dissipate and disappear but the other ones remain floating......it raw sewage.

Last week I was 1 hr and 15 mins by fast boat off Khao Lak at Surin Island I saw it because there is a settlement of Thai people live there plus every tour boat every day brings people to the restaurant there and they have toilets there.

 

I lived in Jomtien 9 years and went many places but never saw a sewer treatment plant anywhere in my travels.

At the south end of Pattaya Beach just before walking street there is some type of pumping station there but have no idea what it is or does.

 

Its too bad they spent all the money restoring the beach, it put the cart before the horse.

 

Pattaya COULD BE a nicer place and more of a tourist draw, BUT.......they really need to demolish everything up to Third Road and completely rebuild from the underground utilities UP.

Before rebuilding the beach, they need a complete restoration and separate the sewage from storm water systems.

 

If you have ever been on Beach Rd after a good pouring rainstorm.......serious flooding and erosion....WHY?

Because all the storm drains are com0letely filled right up thru the cast iron gratings and flush with the asphalt.......no where for the water to go.

The whole time I lived there I wondered why they dont start at beach road and clean the debris. Either use prisoners to do it or for 300 BHAT a day it would give many Thais a job.

It floods everywhere, Dar Side, Khao Talo, Jomtien from Park Lane on Soi Watboon all the way to the ocean

[Rimmer]

Off topic removed, topic is about Pattaya:

World Class Pattaya's "lovely new" beach missing just one thing - tourists!

 

[Thingamabob]

Normal for this time of year.

[Fred white]

35 meters of hot sand to burn your feet getting to the water

[chama]

9 hours ago, darksidedog said:

It isn't just the beach that is missing tourists, the whole town is, though I am sure in a day or two TAT or someone else will provide numbers pulled from their imagination to dispute this. While, yes, we are heading into low season, even high season was very quiet. Strong Baht, dangerous roads, rip offs continuously, shitty brown water, corrupt and untrustworthy cops, all culminate to persuade those not on holiday purely for a bit of nookie, to go elsewhere.

And then there are the Russians....

[raccos21]

No tourists in Pattaya that mean all of them realize it is time to leave. Probably they are all not coming back. I agree on Vietnam is a good idea but not Hanoi, I would say Saigon.

[DrTuner]

I'm just happy I got to see the beach (from a car window while trying to escape the Indian invasion on beach road) before it was washed away. Gotta be quick with these, one day there, next day washed back to Sattahip.

[JustAnotherHun]

5 hours ago, wealthychef said:

 

In my mind, Pattaya just is not a place to go for anything other than girly bars.  There are far better beaches elsewhere.

No one except some russian die hards takes a swim here. But you'll hardly find a place, where you have thai and international restaurants from cheap to nearly stars in such a short distance. Shopping Malls and foodstores aswell. It is not so bad here.

[thaiden1]

I would like to see an aerial view of the sand after todays downpour. Across from Central Festival today there was a 10 meter section of sand that was gone. The water was flowing over Beach Road down the water and taking all the sand with it. When they did the reno of the beach, would you think someone would have thought to install a drainage system along beach road that was connected to large pipes under the sand.

[GoodieAfterDark]

10 hours ago, observer90210 said:

Maybe word has gone around in different countries regarding the overrated Thai Bhat, taxi and jet ski scams or harassment from immigration officials in Thai border points. Corrupt attitudes from some police officers, add to the feeling of insecurity when visiting a country.

 

Information nowdays travels fast and is posted instantly.

 

Consequently, sensible tourists are not all that stupid, want full value for their money and do their homework before visiting a country.

 

 

 There are many videos on YouTube about Thailand's scams. It is not good for business.  Even that I had to go there to find out  how polite and friendly Thai people really are. 

[Trollmann]

Alle the boats are really discusting to see on the beach. I would never ever want to spend time on that beach. They make the sand on the beach ok, but the reason i want to go to a beach is because of THE WATER!

[pattayadgw]

Obviously a lot of people dont get it? providing a beautiful new widened strip of sand is by far easier than fixing plastic mixed with outboard fuel and waste water... the idea is to stay on the sand and not go in the water ????

[Aussie999]

19 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Looks more like a cigar, but well spotted though.

Could also be a pen, there appears to be a magazine there, maybe, just maybe, he is doing a crossword....geez guys, it could be anything.

[Chrisdoc]

It isn't just the beach that is missing tourists, the whole town is, though I am sure in a day or two TAT or someone else will provide numbers pulled from their imagination to dispute this. While, yes, we are heading into low season, even high season was very quiet. Strong Baht, dangerous roads, rip offs continuously, shitty brown water, corrupt and untrustworthy cops, all culminate to persuade those not on holiday purely for a bit of nookie, to go elsewhere.

You didn't mention the unwelcoming government.

Sent from my Nokia 2 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Chrisdoc]

Wouldn't logic say that if the beach is now 600% bigger, with the same amount of tourists,
then yes, it will look empty. Thats less tourists per square meter of beach. Not a massive drop in tourists.
 
Now the usual rhetoric about the decline of the Thai tourist industry, What decline ?????????
 
Other than a few ill informed observations, has there been a marked decline ????????
 
To have a post mortem on what has caused the downfall of Thai tourism, there first has to be an actual quantitative decline in tourism, not just the bar is empty or my mate told me.
 
My own observations and a lack of any contrary data, would lead me to believe there is no decline in tourist numbers. I sit in traffic every-time I go anywhere, I queue at the supermarket, bank, immigration, DLT. I don't dine in empty restaurants or visit empty shopping malls. My condo block is full. Last time I went to an airport the planes were all arriving full of tourists. 
 
If there is real data out there that shows an overall decline in tourist numbers, I would love to see it. Rather than threads like this one where the vocal minority tell me its true based on empty bar stools or one persons observations
 
 
 

There is a Bangkok post article from about a month or so ago in their business section where the Thai travel agents association talks about a several percentage drop in tourist dollars spent (I can't remember the exact figure). I'm sure if you go through their site the article will still be there.

Sent from my Nokia 2 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[hotchilli]

The true western tourist is done with Thailand, especially Pattaya which T.A.T still tries to sell a a family friendly resort, that's a bit like selling "Freddy Kruger" as Uncle Fred !

The usual sex tourist will of course go there for the plentiful girls & beer which is all they're interested in.

The others are not interested in the rip-offs from airport to beach & everywhere in-between.

 

Chiang Mai is now constantly making headline news worldwide which will put off anyone contemplating a trip north to think of a new destination.

And of course the strength of the baht has put a dent in the budget of travelers coming in this direct.

Vietnam/Cambodia have as much or more to offer without the pollution or road accidents!

[raccos21]

Do you mean the world-class Pattaya will look like this in the few years time from now after the Indian invasion.????

[jacko45k]

10 hours ago, thaiden1 said:

I would like to see an aerial view of the sand after todays downpour. Across from Central Festival today there was a 10 meter section of sand that was gone. The water was flowing over Beach Road down the water and taking all the sand with it. When they did the reno of the beach, would you think someone would have thought to install a drainage system along beach road that was connected to large pipes under the sand.

Rather than build memorials exactly where one main central road drains to the beach, blocking the flow and adding to the Beach Road flooding?

[johng]

13 hours ago, Captain 776 said:

I lived in Jomtien 9 years and went many places but never saw a sewer treatment plant anywhere in my travels.

Soi Wat Boon  ( under "repair"  for many years)

[Peterw42]

1 hour ago, johng said:

Soi Wat Boon  ( under "repair"  for many years)

There is another just off the expressway at Na klua as well.